On 8 May, Ming Pao Daily published another article by EOC Chairperson Professor Alfred CHAN Cheung-ming on the employment of people with disabilities, following the previous article printed on 27 March. In this new article, Prof. Chan highlighted the protection for people with disabilities in the field of employment under the Disability Discrimination Ordinance. He also explained the rationale behind the EOC’s proposal under the Discrimination Law Review to amend the ordinance and introduce a distinct duty to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities in all fields.

Prospects Theatre, the organiser of the Jockey Club Equal Opportunities Drama Project, of which the EOC is the supporting organisation, is putting together a summer camp in July for primary, secondary and tertiary students. It is now recruiting volunteers to help out at the camp. If you are aged 18 or above and enjoy spending time with children and youths, you are welcome to sign up by filling out the online form. Interviews will be arranged for the shortlisted volunteers.
 
Meanwhile, a play performed by students will to be staged at Hong Kong Cultural Centre in August as part of the drama project. Both the play and the summer camp aim at encouraging the participants to rethink gender stereotypes through theatre.
 
Do stay updated on ticketing information and other activities by Prospects Theatre on their Facebook page.

In the first Harry Potter story, the wise Hogwarts headmaster Dumbledore said humorously to Harry Potter, who received an invisibility cloak as a Christmas gift, “I don’t need a cloak to become invisible.”
 
In fiction, invisibility, with or without a cloak, is a coveted superpower. In real life, though, being invisible means people see you but do not acknowledge your existence. It is not cool at all.
 
What is even less cool is the fact that a lot of people in our society are enduring such cloak-less invisibility, including the ethnic minority (EM) residents who make up about 8% of Hong Kong’s population. Once in a blue moon, an EM gets under the limelight, like the multilingual police officer Ifzal Zaffar, who was hailed as a hero after dissuading another EM from jumping off a crane, and who has been invited to share his experience by different media, including the EOC’s RTHK Equal Opportunities Diversity Project radio programme. Most EMs, though, are ignored by the larger community. When they do get attention, it is often in the form of discriminatory and derogatory treatment, and at times stereotypes linked to gang fights and robberies.
 
Hong Kong Unison, a local organisation serving EM residents, has been defending the rights of this marginalised group and engaging the public to help build a racially inclusive environment. Its latest project is the “In. Visible” News Story Video Competition, which invites full-time tertiary students to submit news videos related to EM issues produced between 2012 and 2017. The entries will be assessed by a judging panel including editors, scholars and an EM stand-up comedian, and the winners will receive certificates and cash/gift prizes. The video submission deadline is 12 June. For details, please refer to Unison’s website.

The Statutory Minimum Wage (SMW) was raised to an hourly HK$34.5 on 1 May. It concerns the EOC because it applies to all employees, including those with disabilities. Under the Minimum Wage Ordinance, employees with disabilities are entitled to wages not lower than the SMW. For those whose productivity may be impaired by their disabilities, they can choose to undergo a productivity assessment to determine whether they should be paid according to the minimum wage provisions or at a rate based on their assessed productivity.
 
The EOC believes that people with disabilities should be given equal access to employment opportunities. Gainful employment provides not only an income source, but also a channel for them to make use of their skills and talent. We hope employers will hire people based on job competencies and treat applicants and employees with disabilities fairly.

The Social Welfare Department is inviting applications for two IT schemes, both of which aim at supporting the studies/employment of people with disabilities through funding for the acquisition of specific assistive devices. The gist of the two schemes is as follows:
 

Jockey Club IT Scheme for People with Visual Impairment

-	Targets: Individuals with visual impairment, NGOs providing services for people with visual impairment
-	Supported items: Advanced Chinese screen readers, Braille displays of 40 cells and accessories/portable devices
-	Eligibility: Nomination from designated parties is required for individual applicants; NGOs can apply by completing corresponding application forms

Central Fund for Personal Computers

-	Targets: Persons with disabilities in need of computer facilities for self-employment/employment at home due to difficulties in engaging in open employment
-	Eligibility: Current users of rehabilitation services by relevant organisations/Labour Department’s Selective Placement Division with nomination from either of these entities. Applicants are required to provide a business plan on which the subsidised computer facilities can be applied, and proof of financial difficulty.

For details, please refer to the Social Welfare Department’s website.